Birth of Children

• Catherine gave birth to several children, but most died in infancy.
   

• Only one daughter, Mary (later Queen Mary I), survived to adulthood.
   

Henry’s Desire for a Male Heir

• Henry’s desperation for a male heir grew, fueled by the belief that a son was necessary to secure the Tudor dynasty.
   

• Catherine’s inability to produce a surviving son became a source of tension.
   

 The King's "Great Matter" and the Break with Rome

Henry’s Request for Annulment

• In the 1520s, Henry sought to annul his marriage to Catherine, arguing that it was invalid due to her previous marriage to his brother Arthur.
   

• The Pope, under political pressure from Catherine’s nephew, Emperor Charles V, refused to grant the annulment.
   

The English Reformation

• Frustrated by the papal refusal, Henry initiated the English Reformation, severing ties with the Catholic Church.
   

• The Act of Supremacy (1534) declared Henry Supreme Head of the Church of England, allowing him to annul his marriage independently. shutdown123